Vessel.



H. P. ALEXANDER.

VESSEL.

APPLICATION HLBD MAR. 1a, 1009.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910. a sums-sum 1.

H. F. ALEXANDER.

VESSEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.13, 1009.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

5 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

H. F. ALEXANDER.

VESSEL APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1909.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. F. ALEXANDER.

VESSEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1909.

953, 1 65. Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

BEER S-BHBET 4.

H. F. ALEXANDER.

VESSEL.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 13, 1909.

' 953,165. Patented-Man29, 1910.

5 BKEETB-eBHEET 6- p HERBERT raancrs annxannnn, or nnwoas'rm-tiron-rrnn, ENGLAND.

ALExANnnn, a subjectof His Majesty the om it mz y coacerm VESSEL.

- I Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 18, 1808. Serial No. 483,088.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

' Be it known that I, Hnnann'r Fnanor of Great Britain, residing at 34 Bur- .donTerrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Eng- .land, naval architect, have invented certam new-and useful Improvements in Vessels;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inthe art to which use .the same.

vention, such as will enable othersjskilled in it appertains to make and It, has heretofore been proposed to construct a ship comprising a hull portion or body proper supported clear of the water by meansof an endless chain composed of U linked buoyant members orfloats, forming as it were a. continuous paddle wheel. Its "obvious that such" a construction, if practicable, would considerably reduce fluid resistance to the advance of the vessel.

The present invention relates to constructional improvements designed to render practicable the construction of vessels of all sizes on the lines indicated above. To this end ?"I provide means whereby the endless chain of buoyaut members ma ive su port'to and be supported by the liull or bo y proper intermediate of the end wheels over whichi-t travels, as by providing the hull with suitable tracks .or guideways .over

I which antifriction wheels or rollers provided to the buoyant chain travel, or the buoyant chain may carry guldewags or track surfaces composed of ri id gui eway sections hinged together, the ull carrying antifriction wheels or rollers, or a. series or chain of antifriction wheels or rollers may be inter osed between uideways or tracks carried y the hull and buoyant chain. re spectively and travel around with, or in some cases drive, the latter. In some cases the antifriction wheels or rollers may them- I selves be buoyant when carried by the buoyant chain or when connected to ether as an endless chain, two concentrica y disposed buoyant chains in the same plane being in the latter case provided which may if desired be driven at the same or at different linear velocities as will hereinafter app r. Or the buoyant members of the chain may. be freely'revoluble and travel over guideways carried by thehull.

My invention also provides for preventing the lifting of the buoyant chain from regulating its tension.

he vessel may be propelled by any ordinary hnownmeans, and the buoyant chain or chains merely travel around freel as the vessel moves, or reliance for ropulsion may be placed wholly or partially on the said chain or chains, the latter being then positively driven, and preferably provided with blades or roughened surfaces to enhance their propulsive thrust.

My invention is also designedto im rove.

the construction and arrangement 0 th buoyant members composing the endless chain wit h'a view to preventing the entrance and mp mg between such members, of solid bodies t at may be floating in the water and its end wheels by centrifugal action and for also" with a view to diminishin air resistance to said members and flui resistance and shocks to them as they enter the water. This may be effected by suitably shaping and constructing the buoyant members as hereinafter described,als o bycausing them to overlap or telesco e into one another so as to present a su stantiall 9 continuous outer surface at all portions 0 their travel, various suitable arrangements being hereinafter described. I

In combination with the aforesaid buoyant chain or chains I may sometimes use freely revolublev buoyant sup orts, such as freely revoluble cylinders, sp eres or cones, provided to the hull portion so as to be met and rotated by the oncoming waves. I may also reduce noise and shocks caused by the motion of the buoyant chain and its adjustments by the suitable emplo ment of resilient and sound deadening cl springs and rubber buffers or cushions.

The constructional im rovements above outlined, together with ot ers, will be fully described with reference to the annexed drawings in which similar letters refer to corresponding parts inall the figures (which are of a more or less diagrammatic nature) and wherein Figure 1 shows in part sectional elevation a vessel constructed in accordance with my invention. Fi 2 shows two cross sections of Fig. 1, the right hand section bein taken through the axis of one of the end w eels of the buoyant, chain, and the left hand section being taken intermediate of the end wheels. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 4' a sectional plan, showing buoyant chain eviges, such as type n accordance with my invention. Fig. 5 is a part sectional elevation show1ng a method of supporting the buoyant chain mem pers of the telescopic or overlapping members upon antifrlction wheels carried by the hull. Fig. 6'is a cross section of Fig. 5. Figs. Fig. 10 is a plan and Fig. 11 an elevation, illustrating various forms and constructions of buoyant chain members. Figs. 12 and 13 are diagrammatic views showin in elevation buoyant chain members W ereof the supporting antifriction rollersare linked together by an endless pitch chain. Fig. 14 is a diagram plan of a ship having a pair of endless chains. Fi 15-is a transverse section of a vessel s owing some slight modifications of the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2, and Figs. 16, 17 and- 18 are detailsf Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a is the hull or body proper whereon are carried sprocket wheels 6 around which passes an endless chain C of buoyant members 0. This chain is supported b and gives support to the hull a interme iate of the end wheels b by causing antifriction wheels (Z (Fig. 2) provided to chain C to travel over tracks or guideways 0 carried by the hull a, which latter extends in front-and rear of said chain G.

- a is a casing carried by the hull a and inclosing the upper portion of the chain 0, said casing being so shaped as to offer as little resistance as possible to the air, one of its functions being to reduce air resistance to the moving chain, it may also, especially in large vessels, form a deck or part of the hhll or main structure a. In order to prevent the chain C from lifting from the endwheels I) by'centrifugal action, guideways f partially surroundingthesewheels are engaged by theantifriction wheels 9 carried by the chain C. sagging of the chain in wave troughs is prevented by furnishing the buoyant members ofthe same with engaging members'such as h (Fig. 2) adapted to engage and'slide in channel'rails or guides it carried by the hull a. Water may be preventedfrom entering between the chain C and'the hull and reaching the wheels d by providing the former with flanges 2' (Fig. 2) carried by each buoyant member 0 and adapted -to fit closely and slide between flanges i' carried by the hull a. is indi'-- cates ventilating valves provided to the buoyant chain members 0, the same being arranged to automatically close when the chain C travels alongits lower line, and to.

ppen while the same travelsalong its upper A very suitable construction of overlapping or telescopic buoyant chain members is shown in Figs. 3 and 41. Each buoyant member comprises a'closed'c'hamber 0 convex on one side and concave on the other, at

7 8 and 9 are perspective views,

.the buoyant chambers c .bein with the pivots the buoyant c ambers will collapse or telescope'into one another and 0', ma be provided for the same Opurpose.

chain members 0.

each endof the concave side are wins 0' between which enters the convex side 0 the adjacent buoyant member which is pivoted to sand wings at a. The pivots are con-' veniently provided, as shown, by shafts o which carrythe antifriction wheels d fore referred to. The curves of the si es of concentric,

the chain C will present a substantially continuous outer surface throughout its length beg I as seen in Fig. 1. In. order to avoid noise and shocks caused by the movement of the buoyant chain C packings of sound dead-- enin material such as 0 may be suitably applied between the relatively moving portions of the buoyant chain members and buffers of india rubber or the like, such as In igs; 1 and 2 the chain is represented as bein positively driven, the teeth I) of'the sproc ets b engaging extensions of the shaft 0 which pivotally connects the InAF i s. 5 and 6 antifriction wheels d are moun'te on the hull a and the guideways are carried by the chain 0. These guide- .Ways each comprise an endless chain of riigld guideway sections 6 pivotally connecte at points 6 intermediate of the buoyantv members 0, which latter are connected by springs Z with cross bars e which connect together the guideways on each side of the buoyant chain. Flush hinges'should be used at c to pass easily over the wheels d. Extensions 0 of the pivotal connection 6 are engaged b the teeth of the end wheels or sprockets Fig. 7 shows a buoyant chain member of revoluble type, consisting of a drum 0, revo luble about a shaft connecting two pitch chains m which may pass over and be driven by sprockets such as 6, Figs. 1 and 2. The ends of the drum are provided with Fig. 8 shows buoyant chain members 0 enters the water. and recessed at the o posite end to receive the cone or point 0 the I adjacent member. reduces fluid shocks -to the buoyant members on entering the water. For the same purpose the lower or most deeply immersed side of the buo ant members may be made angular or We ge-shaped as shown by the left hand buoyant member 0 in Fig. 9.

In Fig, 9 is also illustrated the combination of buoyant members of the revoluble whereof the extensions maybeengaged by This construction also apted to receive.

110 the antifriction wheels" dwhich travel over the guidewa-ys 6 carried by the hull.

and non-revoluble type. Each buoyantthe sprockets 1) before mentioned, the chamthe driving sprockets'b, are connected together as by the s rings a to prevent their rotation, while sai shafts also carry freely revoluble wheels d traveling over the guidew. s e of the hull a. The wheels may also be uoyant and provided with resilient rims or tires of any suitable construction to reduce noise and vibration. In this figure is also diagrannnatically shown how the casing a before referred to may be furnished with air deflecting apertures through which like watertight connections 0.

the air currents caused by the movement of the buoyant chain may escape and be deflected backward.

Fig. 11 shows buoyant chain members a pivotally connected at their outer sides at a so that the buoyant chain presents a continuous outer surface, the wedge-shaped spaces left between the members 0 when traveling in a straight line being here shown as covered in with collapsible or bellows The pivots '0' may be extended and together with the intermediate projections ,0 be engaged by the sprocket teeth of the end wheels b.

In Fig. 12 an endle s chain of rollers (l connected together oneither side by a pitch chain in is interposed between guideways e of the hull. (4 and hinged guideways Ocarried'by the buoyant chain (l with which lat ter the rollers cl travel around. Either the buoyant chain 0 or the chain of rollers (l may be driven by the end wheels 1), if the chain of'rollers ll be positively driventhe buoyant chain C may be'frictionally driven by the rollers d-at twice their linear seed.

I11 cases ,avhere a chain of non-revo uble buoyant,.n'ie1nbers 0 is driven by connecting the pivotal points 0" of such members with pitch chains m engaged by the s rocket wheels I), as shown for example in the diagrammatic view Fig. 13, the buoyant'members 0 would preferably be connected by links such as 7) set at an angle to the horizontal line of movement, as shown, this arrangement maintaining proper separation between said members and preventing them from jamming as they pass around the end curves of the guideways e, which, if at all closely set they would otherwise do, owing to the reduction on these curves of the disowner ,the same pur ose the under or most deeply points a. At the left hand of Fig. 13 the links p are shown as connectin -the pivot 0 of one buo ant member a wit l the lower part of the a jacent buoyant member, said members havin here no end wings-c; to the right of this, gure the buoyant members 0 are shown as having end overlap ing portions or wings a furnished with s ort arms 1) with which the angular connecting links p are connected. An angular connecting link 7 is also shown in Fig. 9, and would preferably beemployed were the ivots c of these buoyant members connecte to pitch chains assing over the end wheels I).

Where the buoyant chain is to be used for 80 propulsion, and is positively driven, its uoyant members 0 will be preferably furnished with suitable blades, or otherwise constructed to ive them a gripon the water. In Fig. 7 blades 9 are shown provided to the revoluble buoyant member 0, and in Fig. 10 V shaped blades g are represented, arranged so that their angles or points first enter the water. In Fig. 9 for 9O immersed sur ace of the right hand buoyant member 0 is shown as having corrugations or flutings The diagram, Fig. 14, shows a vessel havin a pair of buoyant chains 0 arranged si e by, side and parallel to oneanother. Provision may be made for drivin both chains simultaneously or either indizpend ent-ly and if desired in opposite directions at he same time. For example, each driving shaft may be in two portions coupled at will by a suitable clutch r and each portion of each shaft may be furnished withan independent motor '8. In all cases, whether using a single chain or "a plurality of chains, it will be preferable to drive the, sprocket wheels at both ends of each chain simultaneously, thus reducingthe tension in the upper portioniof the chain. 25 indicates a frecl revoluble buoy- 1 ant support, here shown in the form of a double'cone, which may be mounted at the fore part of the hull a if desired to here provide buoyancy if necessary.

The arrangement, Fig. 15, differs from 1 Fig. 2 chiefly in that the buoyant chain is here centrally driven in lieu of from either side; the centrifugal uideways f are also carried around the whgfie course of travel and constitute also antisa ging guideways for 129 the lower portion 0 the buoyant chain. The driving s rockets b are mounted'centrally of the all a and an endless pitch chain m which passes over them is suitably connected with the center of each buoyant member 0. Details of a convenient resilient connection between the buoyant chambers 0 and the pitch chain m are shown in Figs. 16 and 17. Certain of the pivots of the pitch chain m; are extended 3 V and carry arms m to which are pivoted links m pivoted to the buoyant members at m. Springs Z connect these links with the buoyant members a so as to take up 5 shocks or jerks transmitted thereto from the pitch chain.v

The detail, Fig. 18,shows a method of resiliently mounting the antifriction wheels (l on the buoyant members 0, the shaft of said wheels being carried in a frame a pivoted t0 the buoyant member at u and having a spring .or springs Z interposed between its free side and the said buoyant member. trance of water between the buoyant chain and the 'hull is shown in Fig. 15 as consisting of a flange 11 provided to each buoyant chain member- 0 and slidable between two flanges i rovided tothe hull a one'of which carries a suitable packing i 1 Means independent of those used for propulsion may also be rovided for moving the buoyant chain w ien desired so as to bring any buoyant member or members above the water for inspection repairs or .thelike.

It is to be understood that I do not .con-

fine myself to the precise constructional details described with reference to and illustrated in the drawings, the same being obviously capable of variation without departing from my invention.

I would observe that I am aware that a wholly flexible continuous endless belt or endless pneumatic tube .flotation member,

passed around end wheels and traveling over intermediate wheels carried by ahull which it is designed to support and propel, has before been proposed, and that my invent-ion is notdesigned for application to,

nor claimed m connection with such an arran gement.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of: the United States is 4 5 1. In navigable vessels, the combination with the hull, of a buoyant endless chain The meansfor preventing the en-.

less chain \vithout friction during operation thereof, substantially as described.

1 members, substantially as described.

4. .ln navigable vessels the combination with the hull, of an endless buoyant chain formed of telescoping members, means for interconnecting said members, andmeans for guiding the endless chain without fric tion during operation thereof, substantially as described.

lnnavi able vessels, the combination with the hu 1, of antifriction rollers .carried thereby, an endless chain comprising telescoping buoyant members, and a 'guideway carried by the chain consisting of interconnected sections adapted to travel over the rollers, substantially as described.

-6. In navigable vessels, the combination with the hull, of a guideway thereon, an. endless buoyant chain, a guideway carried thereby, anda series of antifriction rollers interposed between the two guideways, substantially as described.

7. In navi able vessels, the combination with the hul, of aguideway thereon, an endless buoyant chain, a guideway carried .thereby, a series of .antifri ction=' rollers interposed between the two guideways, and means for transmittin motion to the endless chain from the ro lers, substantially as described' 7 I 8. In navigable vessels, the combination with the hull, of a plurality of buoyant members, and a plurality of links set at an angle to the horizontal line of movement, for interconnecting said members to form a chain, substantially as described.

9. In a navigable vessel of the type set V forth, means for preventing entrance of water between the endless buoyant chain and the hull, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

HER-BERT FRANCIS ALEXANDER.

Witnesses:

CECIL H. THOMPSON, ALFRED PICKWORTH. 

